Smocking attachment for sewing-machines.



No. 797,207. PATENTED AUG. 15, 1005. A. LAUBSGHER.

- SMOCKING ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 3. 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

WITNESSES.- Qaa/ f' 4 u ATTORNEY munew. emu/m co, Wmo-umonnwnzns. wasummma. uV c.

No. 797,207. PATENT@ AUG. 15, 3.905. A. LAUBSGHBR.

SMOKING ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 3. 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES:

IN VENTOLE 1s Y Myra/MQ A TTURNEY Ifold-guide-supporting arm being' broken in -Iiig 1 is a plan view of the guide-plate and NIT il STATES PATENT OFFICE ALEXANDER LAUBSCHER, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO WHEELER t WILSON MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

EWIOKING ATTACHMENT' no. temor.

Patented Aug. 15, 1905.

Application filed January 3, 1905. Serial N0. 239,459

Be it known that LALMXAND'MR LAUBsoI-imi, a citizen ot' the United @States` residing at Bridgeport, in the county of Eairiield and State of Connecticut, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Sinocking; Attachments for Sewing-h/Iachines, oi which the -following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to a smocking attachment for sewing-machines; and its object is to provide a device oi simple construction and easy adjustment whereby the operator may quickly, easily, and accurately manipulate the material to form a honeycomb effect with iiniformly-spaced rows oi.g staggered tying'- stitches.

The invention consists, fundamentally, of a Told-guide about which the cloth is bent and having a stop-slot for determining the spacing oi' consecutive tying-stitches. Preierably employed in connection with this foldguide are a fold-guard to keep the iold of material clear olf the needleand a guide-plate, which also supports the guard-plate.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating the invention, in the several figures oi which like parts are similarly designated, Figure 1 is an elevation of the iront side oil a Wheeler et wWilson D12 zigzag-sewing machine, the fold-guide-supporting arm being broken in two. Eig. Qisa plan View of my device, the

two, the view also showing the throat-plate, front and back slide-plates, and a portion oi' the bed-plate of the sewing-machine. Eig. 3 is a plan view of the 'fold-guicle detached.

fold-guard detached. Fig. 5 is a perspective view illustrating the folding, gaging, and guiding oit the material. Fig. 6 is a right or top side view of the linished product. Fig. i' is an under side view oi' a portion of the linishcd product.

The invention may be and preferably is used in connection with a zigzag-sewing machine having an automatic stop-motion such as that herein indicated in the present drawings and more particularly described in Patent No. 680,665, granted to the Wheeler t Vifilson Manufacturing Company, assignee oi' Donald Noble, and dated August 13, 1901,

for H{"itopping mechanism for sewing-machines. Further, the mounting of the foldguide and the mea-ns employed for its adjustment and manipulation are substantially the same as are illustrated and described in Patent No. 689,100, granted to the `Wheeler et Wilson Manufacturing Company, assignee of Alexander Laubseher, and dated December 17, 1901, for Tuck-:folder for sewing-machines.

1 designates the bed-plate of the sewingmachine; 2, the overhanging arm; 3, the band-wheel; a, the stop-motion mechanism; 5, the needle; 6, the needle-bar; 7, the takeup;8, the needle-thread tension;V t), the Yfaceplate; 10, the needle-bar connection; 11, the back slide-plate; 12, the :liront slide-plate; 13, the throat-plate, and 1a the segment-lever for vibrating the needle-bar gate 15 so as to obtain the zigzag-stitch, and ali ol these parts and the operating mechanism for such oi them as move may be and are here shown as they are used in the Wheeler & Wilson D19l zigzag-sewing machine.

The invention has to do with the parts immediately used for Vfolding, guiding, and gaging the material and spacing' the tying'- stitches.

16 is a guide-plate adjustably secured to the back slide-plate 11 by screws 17, passing' through a slot or slots 18, with a washer 19 under the heads oi' the screws.

20 is a fold-guard having a longitudinal slot or slots 21 and screws 22, whereby it is adjustably secured to the guide-plate 16.

23 is a fold-guide having a slot 9.11 and screws 25, whereby it is adjustably secured to an arm 26, a washer E27 being interposed under the heads of screws 25.

The leading' end of the fold-guide 23 is made as an elongated blade 28, and in the heel oi' the blade is a needle-hole 29, out olr which leads a slot 30, and lthis slot has cut in it laterally or at right angles an outlet-slit 31, which is backed by the wall 32, and this wall 32 serves as a stop against which the previouslymade tying-stitches abut while forn'iing thc next subsequent stitch. From needle-hole E29 to stop-wall 3Q is substantially the length of the distance between the tying-stitches, and because the parts .29 to 32 subserve the purpose of iixing the maximum limit of distance between tying-stitches T have herein re'lorred to them collectively as a stop-slot.

The guide-plate 16 is made with a downwardly-bent leadingend 33, (see Fig. 5,) which is extended as a complemental blade 341, and said guide-plate has in its leading end a needlenotch 35 to register with the needle-hole 29 in the fold-guide. ranged nextthe notch 35 and beyond it toward, the operator, and its free end 36 is bent upwardly and then curved downwardly and its extreme edge rests upon the down wardly-bent leading end of the said guide-plate 16. In use the edge of the guide-plate 16 overlaps the edge ofthe fold-guide, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2, and the needle-holes Q9 and 35 aline when the parts are in operative position.

The fold-guide 23 for the purposes of this invention must have an adjustment vertically with relation to the throat-plate and also must be capable of being moved horizontally toward and from the operator, and in order to obtain these movements the arm 26, which supports the said fold-guide, may be mounted substantially as in Patent No. 689,160, above referred to, and as herein shown the stand for the arm comprises a base 37, screwed down to any suitable support, such as the machine-table or bench, and on this stand is mounted the turn-table 3S, having uprights 39 applied to it, which serve as bearings for the shaft or pintle 40, connected with the arm 26 in such way that the arm may be adjusted vertically. The turn-table 33 permits of the horizontal adjustment of the arm. In order to retain the arm 26 in its vertical adjustment, a set-screw 11 is employed, and to impart a constant downward pressure to the arm a compression-lever i2 is mounted on the turntable and is held in forcible contact with the arm by means of a spring L13 and a spring tension-screw 44. In order to position the arm and the fold-guide, a stop a5 rises from the base 37 and a set-screw 16 is placed in a lug 47, projecting from the turn-table 33, so as to Contact with the said stop, and thus limit the motion of the turn-table in one direction.

The operation is as follows: Referring to Figs. 5, 6, and 7, the material a3 is folded over the blade 28 of the fold-guide 23 with the right side of the material down, so as to bring the leading end of the materialv at a point to place the first fold at the desired distance from its edge. r1`he first tying-stitches L19 are then placed distant from the edge of the material, either the distance represented by the length of the slot 3Q back of the needle or half that distance, and after the formation of the first knot of tying-stitches the material is adjusted in the direction of the arrow 7), Fig. 5, until the tying-stitches register against the wall 32 of the stop-slot. The second set or knot of tying-stitches being completed, the first knot of stitches is passed out through the slit 31 and the second knot of tyingstitches adjusted against said wall, and these The fold-guard 20 is arl l of the fold maybe guided along the edge of operations are continued for each successive knot of tying-stitches. The first fold being' completed, the material is moved in the direction indicated by the arrow a, 5, and

i positioned so that the fold-guard 2O will hold the fold away from the needle and the base the leading' end 33 of the guide-plate. For convenience in gaging the first of the tyingstitches of the new fold so that they will be staggered with relation to the tying-stitches placed in the previous fold the fold-guard may be, as shown in the drawings, of a width substantially half the length of the slot 30 back of the needle-hole, so that in starting the rows of tying-stitches it is only necessary to register the first stitch of' the shorter row 50 to the edge of the fold-guard next the operator when starting the longer row of tying-stitches and to register the second knot of tying-stitches of the longer row, containingthe stitches 19, in like manner to start the shorter row of tying-stitches; but this gaging aects only the first knot of tying-stitches, since the succeeding tying' stitches comprised in the row are gaged, as previously explained, by registering the tying-stitches against the wall 32 of the stop-slot.

Ihile the fold-guard is important as a convenient means for feeding' the material to the action of the needle, it is possible to dispense with it, and in that case the operator must manually hold the previously-made fold out of line with the movement of the needle.

As already indicated, the fold-guide is adjustable vertically for different thicknesses of material and is movable laterally in a horizontal direction for inserting and removing the goods. As also sufiiciently indicated, the foldguide and the guide-plate are adjustable to space the rows of tying-stitches at different distances apart in the direction of the length of the feed of the material.

Vhat I claim is4 1. In a smocking attachment for sewingmachines, a fold-guide, anda coperative complemental member, said fold-guide provided with a stop-slot, having a lateral slit at one end and a wall located at the far side of this slitted or open end adapted to space the tyingstitches equidistantly.

2. In a smocking attachment for sewingmachines, a fold-guide and a guide-plate, said fold-guide provided with a stop-slot open at one end and having a needle-hole at its other end, the wall of the open end of the stop-slot located a distance from the needle-hole equal to the distance required for the proper spacing of the tying-stitches.

3. In a smocking attachment for sewingmachines, a fold-guard, a foldguide, and a guide-plate, said fold-guide provided with a stop-slot open at one end and having a needlehole at its other end, the wall of the open end of the stop-slot located a distance from the Pref/,20v a heedle-hole equal to the distance required for the proper spacing of the tying-Stitches.

el. ln a smocking attachment for sewingmachines, a fold-guard, a foldguide, and a guide-plate, said fold-guard, fold-guide, and guide-plate adjuetably secured relatively to the line of tying-stitches, and the `told-guide provided with a Stop-Slot at one end and having' a needle-hole at its other end, the Wall of the open end of the stop-slot located a distance from the needle-hole equal to the distance required for the proper spacing of the tying'- stitches.

In testimony whereotl I have hereunto Set my hand this 31st day oi December, A. D.

ALEXANDER LAUBSCHER. Witnesses:

E. L. TOLLES, A. M. DONIHEE. 

